You know that nagging feeling you get when you sense somebody is selling to you? I’m glad I get that far less often now than ‘in the old days’. But at a time when real content is king, when interruption marketing is on the wane. A time we can easily discover information for ourselves and shun the sales pitch. Old fashion style selling is still going on. And it sucks!
GIS user are you being sold to?
When I look for information, I want just that. Not a Fox News version: bias, hidden agendas, blatant falsehoods .. wrapped up in old fashion style selling.
We live in an unusual time. A new tech driven age. The time of the millennials. Simon Sinek has an interesting take on this new generation. And yet GIS still feels the need for ‘old fashioned’ selling.
Today GIS users want the focus to be on the problem and a path to a solution. Not a promise. Not old fashion selling. A real tangible solution that is easy to understand and that I, as a user, feel confident can be applied to solve my problem. That solution might be a product, or a service.
- Defining the problem
- Evolving the story
- Building the runway
- Solution implementation
If you are looking to JUMPSTART your deployment and use of ArcGIS Online this eBook is for you.
If, as a GIS user, I am promised a solution which I then buy. A solution which then does not solve my problem; it either does not do what you promised, or is more complex than you suggested. Guess how I feel? Upset, angry, frustrated.
So back to the question: GIS user are you being sold to? Its my opinion that old fashion selling is having a very negative impact on the growth and adoption of GIS. We hear it too often from our clients. Too much:
Imposing rather than understanding. Directing instead of guiding. Promising without actually solving.
The ray of hope is that more organizations now partner with the large GIS vendors and are focused on solving. Get you started, move you forward, overcome your challenges, and help you make the best use of GIS technology. Organizations who:
Start with understanding your problem. Evolve a plan. Then apply geospatial thinking and technical know how to move you towards real solutions.
Author: Matt Sheehan
Matt Sheehan is a Principal at WebMapSolutions. Matt evangelizes GIS and location intelligence around the world through keynotes, articles, tweets and his books. Follow him on Twitter:
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I am not sure about the exclusive “Fox News” reference that could be applied to most current media outlets, but ok, whatever. As for the rest of your points here, Amen! I to believe we are mostly “sold to” as opposed to being assisted in solving data, process, and information problems.
Haha, I completely agree Eric. Fox just one of many. As for selling and not solving. It feels ever more like we are being ‘sold to’. That’s a change from the past, and I fear will backfire on the industry if it continues.